Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What oversight mechanisms exist with regard to the distribution of food and humanitarian aid in Sudan.

Baroness Amos: Her Majesty's Government oblige all relief agencies they fund in Sudan to build sound monitoring and reporting arrangements into food and other humanitarian projects. This is to ensure that the targeted beneficiaries are indeed the people who benefit. We in turn monitor these agencies in the field as a further check that our assistance is reaching the people who need it.

Sudan: Demining Projects

Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What funding they have made available for demining projects in eastern and southern Sudan.

Baroness Amos: Her Majesty's Government have made no funding available for demining projects in Sudan. We consider it inappropriate to provide funds for demining in situations where conflict continues and when new mines continue to be laid.

Reproductive Health

Baroness Williams of Crosby: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much was spent on reproductive health by the Department for International Development in each of the years 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999; and within that total how much was spent on protection against and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

Baroness Amos: In many cases it is not practical to distinguish between the sexual and the reproductive health/family planning elements of our programmes. There is also often no clear distinction between assisting with work in HIV/AIDS and in other sexual health issues. However, the following is an approximate breakdown of DFID's bilateral contributions to reproductive health/family planning and HIV/AIDS in 1996-1999. This does not include its significant contributions to multilateral agencies involved in tackling HIV/AIDS.
	
		£ million 
		
			  Reproductive Health/Family Planning HIV/AIDS 
			 1996 35 15 
			 1997 38 15 
			 1998 42 16 
			 1999 40 17

Home Secretary's Driver: Prosecution Criteria

Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What criteria govern the decision whether the Home Secretary's driver should be prosecuted for driving in excess of 100 miles per hour on the M.5 motorway.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The decision is a matter for Avon and Somerset Constabulary to make in the light of all the circumstances. It is open to them to seek Crown Prosecution Service advice, in which event the CPS will apply the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

Lieutenant Governors: Appointment Criteria

Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 24 July (WA 22), what steps are being taken when filling the position of Lieutenant Governors in the future to ensure that people who are not former service personnel or former diplomats are shortlised.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The aim is to ensure that those people who appear best to fulfil the criteria for the position are shortlisted; this could include people who are not former service personnel or former diplomats.

Asylum Seekers

Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many asylum seekers and how many illegal immigrants arrived and how many have been reported deported in each year since 1997.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The numbers of persons applying for asylum in each year since 1997 are shown in the first table. By definition, it is not possible to provide total numbers of illegal immigrants over the same period. The second table shows the number of persons who were served with illegal entry papers. The third table shows the number of failed asylum applicants removed or departing voluntarily as a result of enforcement action, whilst the fourth table shows the number of persons, including some persons who had applied for asylum, removed or departing voluntarily as a result of illegal entry enforcement action.
	
		Applications received for asylum in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants
		
			  1997 1998 1999P 
			  32,500 46,020 71,160 
		
	
	P 1999 data are provisional.
	Data are rounded to the nearest 10.
	
		Number of persons served with illegal entry papers
		
			  1997 1998 1999P 
			  14,390 16,500 21,580 
		
	
	P 1999 data are provisional.
	Data are rounded to the nearest 10.
	
		Persons removed or departing voluntarily  1  as a result of enforcement action who had, at some stage, applied for asylum
		
			  1997 1998 1999P 
			  7,160 6,900 7,620 
		
	
	1 Includes voluntary departures taking place after the initiation of enforcement action.
	P 1999 data are provisional.
	Data are rounded to the nearest 10.
	
		Persons removed or departing voluntarily  1  as a result of illegal entry enforcement
		
			  1997 1998 1999P 
			 Enforcement--illegal 4,540 5,580 5,220 
		
	
	1 Includes voluntary departures taking place after the initiation of enforcement action.
	P 1999 data are provisional.
	Data are rounded to the nearest 10.

Criminals: Facial Identification Technique

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have any empirical evidence that the use of photo-fits is effective in catching criminals; if so, whether this evidence compares such photo-fits with the facial features of criminals convicted in cases where such technology was used; and, if so, in what percentage of such photo-fit pictures there is a reasonable likeness.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The use of photo-fit as an important investigative tool has largely been superseded by E-FIT and other electronic systems. I understand that the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) will shortly be looking at the contribution made by all types of facial identification techniques in the investigation of crime.

Prisoners: Dietary Requirements

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the diet provided in HM prisons for insulin dependent and non-insulin dependent inmates is appropriate and properly forms part of an appropriate therapy.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Prison doctors will provide advice on any special dietary requirement a prisoner may have on medical grounds, including diabetes. The catering department would be advised as soon as possible. Prisoners with self-regulated diabetes will normally be encouraged to choose appropriate items from the menu on offer and would have access to advice to help them make such choices.

Prisons: Accessibility for Wheelchair Users

Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether Agecroft and Ashfield prisons are fully accessible to (a) prisoners, (b) visitors, and (c) staff who are wheelchair users or who have sensory impairments; and
	Whether the prisons currently under construction at Marchington and Onley will be fully accessible.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Ashfield and Forest Bank (Agecroft) prisons are fully accessible to prisoners, visitors and staff with physical disabilities. Dovegate (Marchington) prison and Rye Hill (Onley) prison will also be fully accessible.

Prisons: Accessibility for Wheelchair Users

Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether all new houseblocks being added to the existing Prison Service managed prisons and contracted out prisons are fully accessible.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The ground floors of all new houseblocks, of both Prison Service managed prisons and contracted out prisons, are fully accessible, i.e. via ramps and entrances which are of adequate width to allow access of wheelchairs etc.
	The upper levels of such accommodation are galleried and are not readily accessible. Sufficient accommodation and facilities are available on the ground floor to ensure reasonable access to the full range of facilities.

Prisons: Building Regulations

Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether all prisons in England and Wales are subject to building regulations.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: All design, building and engineering work carried out by the Prison Service is subject to the substantive (as opposed to the procedural) requirements of the Building Regulations 1991 (Statutory Instrument No. 2768) apart from:
	Schedule 1 paragraph B1 (Fire safety means of escape)
	Schedule 1 paragraph B3 (fire resistant sub-divison of buildings when material alterations are made)
	Prisons within the Inner London Area (Belmarsh, Brixton, Holloway, Pentonville, Wandsworth and Wormwood Scrubs) are subject also to the requirements of the Building (Inner London) Regulations 1985 and 1987.
	The Prison Service is not subject to the procedural requirements of the Building Regulations; i.e. it is not required to submit drawings etc. for prison buildings and engineering works for Building Regulation approval.

Prisons: Responsibilities under Disability Discrimination Act

Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans the Prison Service has to make all prisons comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Prison Service has issued Prison Service orders to ensure that governors and staff are aware of their responsibilities under the Act. To enable it to comply with the requirements of the Act in 2004, the Prison Service has formed a working party to advise on the action it will need to take.

Members of Parliament: Telephone Tapping Prohibition

Lord Roper: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the prohibitions by Mr Harold Wilson, when Prime Minister, of tapping the telephones of Members of Parliament remains in force; and whether such a prohibition also applies to the telephones of members of the House of Lords; and
	Whether they will extend the prohibition on tapping the telephones of Members of Parliament to the interception of any form of electronic communication.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: With permission, the reply covers both questions. As stated in the Prime Minister's answer to the honourable Member for Walsall North (Mr Winnick) on 30 October 1997 (Official Report, col. 861) the Government's policy on interception of telephones of Members of Parliament remains as stated in 1966 by the then Prime Minister, and as applied by successive governments since. In answer to questions on 17 November 1966, the Prime Minister said that he had given instructions that there was to be no tapping of telephones of Members of Parliament and that, if there was a development which required such a change of policy, he would at such moment as seemed compatible with the security of the country, on his own initiative, make a statement in the House about it.
	Further, pursuant to the answers given to the Lord Balfour of Inchrye by The Lord Privy Seal on 22 November 1966 (Official Report, col. 122) stating that, exceptionally, the statement made by the Prime Minister extends to the House of Lords, the Government can confirm that the policy described in previous answers applies in relation to the use of electronic surveillance as well as to telephone interception.

Wandsworth Prison: Response to Board of  Visitors

Lord Harris of Greenwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action has been taken following the annual report for 1999 of the Board of Visitors of HM Prison Wandsworth, and in particular their response to 'Questions to the Home Secretary' contained within it.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Minister for Prisons and Probation will shortly be writing to the chairman of the Board of Visitors at Wandsworth Prison in response to all the issues raised in their annual report. As soon as he has done so, I will write to the noble Lord with details of the responses, and I will place a copy of my letter in the Library.

Dangerous Dogs Act: Statistics

Lord Baker of Dorking: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many pit bull terriers have been registered under the provisions of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1989 in each of the last nine years.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Dangerous Dogs Act 1989 contains no provisions relating specifically to pit bull terriers, or to any other type or breed of dog. It extended powers available to the courts under the Dogs Act 1871 as regards dogs in general which are found to be dangerous, and centrally held information relating to offences under the Act does not identify the type or breed of dog concerned.
	Dogs fully exempted from prohibition, under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, as amended, of possession of certain types of fighting dog (almost entirely, but not exclusively, of the type known as pit bull terrier) are registered on the Index of Exempted Dogs. The number of fully exempted dogs registered on the index at the end of each year from 1991 to 1999, is as follows:
	
		
			 Year Exempted Dogs 
			 1991 *2,801 
			 1992 *4,821 
			 1993 4,286 
			 1994 3,825 
			 1995 3,430 
			 1996 3,135 
			 1997 2,841 
			 1998 2,566 
			 1999 2,151 
		
	
	* The 1991 total is less than that for 1992 as owners had a period of time to register exempted dogs after commencement of the 1991 Act. In addition, dogs are not required to be registered until they were seven months old.

Dangerous Dogs Act: Statistics

Lord Baker of Dorking: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many incidents involving pit bull terriers have been reported in each of the last nine years.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Centrally held data given in the table show the numbers of cautions, prosecutions and convictions under Section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. This section of the Act relates to incidents where dogs have been dangerously out of control. This would include any such incidents involving dogs of the type known as the pit bull terrier, but it is not possible from the data to isolate figures relating to them. The information requested is not readily available from other sources.
	
		Number of cautions, prosecutions and convictions under Section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991(1), England and Wales, 1991-1999P
		
			 Offence description Court proceedings 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place, injuring any person (s3.1 aggravated offence) Cautions Prosecutions Convictions -- -- -- 21 310 131 29 349 138 36 286 113 43 259 93 80 221 70 69 259 121 78 434 239 110 446 261 
			   
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place, no injury being caused (s3.1 non aggravated offence) Cautions Prosecutions Convictions -- -- -- 143 389 181 148 302 137 134 196 81 112 189 77 44 162 64 65 175 88 67 248 125 67 245 122 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place and injure any person (s3.3 aggravated offence) Cautions Prosecutions Convictions -- -- -- 5 20 8 2 36 8 3 25 13 5 23 8 8 18 6 8 22 5 5 28 13 19 31 18 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place causing reasonable apprehension of injury to a person (s3.3 non aggravated offence) Cautions Prosecutions Convictions -- -- -- 3 30 10 -- 21 14 6 8 5 8 18 8 3 4 -- 5 10 4 4 12 8 4 8 5 
		
	
	(1) Came into force August 1991.
	P = Provisional.

Government Bills in Current Session

Earl Russell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many government Bills have been before Parliament since the beginning of the present Session; how many of these have been sponsored by the Home Office; how many are currently before Parliament.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Since this parliamentary Session began the Government have introduced 42 Bills, of which 16 are still before Parliament. The Home Office has had policy responsibility for 12 Bills this Session, four of which have now passed onto the statute book.

Immigration Policy

Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they will ensure that any change in Immigration Rules to allow into the United Kingdom greater numbers of people with skills needed in the United Kingdom economy will not aggravate the economic plight of the communities and countries from which they come, thereby increasing the pressures on those with fewer skills to emigrate.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Our formal aim for immigration explicitly calls for regulation of entry to and settlement in the United Kingdom in the interests of social stability and economic growth. Firm and effective immigration control is--and will remain--the essential platform to the Government's approach in this area. We recognise that there is a developing debate about the economic and social benefits of migration, taking place against a backdrop of globalisation, increasing labour mobility, political instability around the world and organised illegal immigration. In welcoming further discussion, there is a need to look across the full range of migration issues, including the impact on the communities and countries from which migrants come, to ensure a coherent approach.

HGV Drivers: Overweight Convictions

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the average fine imposed on lorry drivers convicted for operating overweight lorries during the last five years; and
	For the last five years, how many lorry drivers were convicted for operating lorries, which were overweight by (a) 0-5 tonnes; (b) 5-10 tonnes; (c) 10-20 tonnes; and (d) over 20 tonnes; and
	How many drivers operating heavy goods vehicles registered (a) in the United Kingdom; and (b) outside the United Kingdom; have been convicted of driving overweight lorries.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The number of convictions, number of fines and the average fine for the offence of "exceeding gross weight or axle weight" in England and Wales for the years 1993 to 1997 was as follows:
	
		
			 Year Number of convictions Number of fines Average fine 
			 1993 18,455 15,550 £250 
			 1994 18,648 16,043 £273 
			 1995 18,063 15,705 £288 
			 1996 16,592 14,341 £291 
			 1997 15,210 13,173 £303 
		
	
	The figures relate to light and heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches. "Lorries" are not separately identifiable in the figures collected centrally. Statistics for 1998 and 1999 are not yet available. Similar information is not available for Scotland. For Northern Ireland, the readily available information relates to the average fine for "goods vehicles contravening the weight provisions" which was £113 in 1995-96, £140 in 1996-97, £147 in 1997-98 and £144 in 1998-99 and £160 in 1999-2000.
	Information obtained from the Local Authorities Co-ordinating Body on Food and Tradings Standards shows the following number of prosecutions in Great Britain in which lorries were overweight by the proportion stated:
	
		
			 Year Less than 5 per cent 5-10 per cent 10-20 per cent More than 20 per cent 
			 1995-96 375 1,551 3,549 1,870 
			 1996-97 356 1,359 3,684 1,959 
			 1997-98 141 1,017 3,411 1,819 
			 1998-99 127 917 3,501 1,891 
			 1999-2000 81 584 2,729 1,713 
		
	
	Information is not available to show whether heavy goods vehicles driven while overweight were registered in the United Kingdom or elsewhere.

Sri Lankan Asylum Seekers: Consideration of Torture Claims

Baroness Whitaker: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 6 July (WA 150-151), whether they will specify the caseworkers' grounds for disbelieving the testimony of torture given by Tamil asylum seekers from Sri Lanka between January 1999 and December 1999.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: As each application for asylum is considered individually, it is not possible to specify grounds for every Sri Lankan application refused during 1999 where torture was an issue; these will have been given in the individual reasons for refusal letters.
	An asylum seeker's testimony of torture, and any medical evidence which may be supplied, is taken very seriously and weighed by the caseworker in the context of all the available evidence. If it is decided to refuse an application in which torture is alleged, the letter giving the reasons for refusal will explain how the medical evidence has been considered in relation the other evidence available and, if applicable, why the caseworker disagrees with the conclusion given in the medical report.

Remands for Psychiatric Reports

Lord Dholakia: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many defendants were remanded in custody for psychiatric reports in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The information is not available centrally.
	The Home Office Court Proceedings Database does not hold information about the reasons why defendants are remanded in custody.

R18 Videos: Regulation

Baroness Goudie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish the consultation paper on the British Board of Film Classification's Annual Report for 1999.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My right honourable friend, the Home Secretary, has today placed in the Library a consultation paper on the regulation of R18 videos. As your Lordships will be aware, my right honourable friend the Home Secretary and I were extremely disappointed with the High Court decision, on 16 May, which dismissed the British Board of Film Classification's application for judicial review in respect of appeals against its decision not to classify seven sexually explicit videos in the R (restricted) 18 category--which are available only in licensed sex shops. The Government maintain a firm commitment to the protection of children from unsuitable sexually explicit material and, in the light of the recent judgment, publishing a consultation paper which examines a number of options to improve the safeguards for children from possible exposure to videos classified in the R (restricted) 18 category. The paper also proposes measures for modernising and strengthening the recruitment and appointment procedures of the Video Appeals Committee.

Milk Production

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	For the latest full year for which statistics are available, what is the maximum amount of milk which is allowed to be produced from British herds under the common agriculture policy; what is the consumption of milk and dairy products in Britain; and how is the difference between British production and British consumption made up.

Baroness Hayman: Milk production in the UK, as in other EU member states, is constrained by the milk quota system. The UK's quota allocation in the 1998-99 quota year was 14.590 million tonnes before additional levies became payable. Actual production for the same period was 14.625 million tonnes.
	In the calendar year 1999, the total milk available for use in the manufacture of drinking milk and milk products was 14.662 million tonnes in milk equivalent terms. Production of milk and milk products in the UK comprises products made from both domestically produced and imported milk.
	The utilisation of milk for liquid consumption in 1999 is forecast at 7,111 thousand tonnes, 48.5 per cent of which was home produced. The position for other products is more complicated as they are more amenable to international trade. The table below shows data for production, import and export of the major milk products and the amounts available for use on the home market.
	
		Supply of milk products in the United Kingdom in 1999 -- '000 tonnes
		
			  Butter Cheese Cream Condensed Milk Full cream powder Skimmed milk powder 
			 Production 141 368 275 177 102 102 
			 Imports 113 277 9 14 10 14 
			 Exports 56 61 86 52 92 59 
			 Total new supply 199 584 199 139 20 57 
			 Change in stock 11 1 -- 1 0 -11 
			 Total domestic use 188 584 199 138 20 68

Timber Production

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will ask Forest Enterprise, which produces 60 per cent of United Kingdom coniferous timber, to reduce the volume they produce annually, in the interests of obtaining better prices for all producers.

Baroness Hayman: A reduction in the volume of timber produced by Forest Enterprise would not have a significant effect on prices, as the prices obtained by producers of coniferous timber in the United Kingdom are very strongly linked to the prices of imported timber. This is because the United Kingdom imports about 85 per cent of its timber requirements. The end users of timber grown in the United Kingdom would simply switch to using imported timber if UK timber was not available at a competitive price. We therefore have no plans to ask Forest Enterprise to reduce the volume that it produces.

Arable Area Payments

Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the new advice being given to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food regional administrators of the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) relating to the application of the rules of the arable area payments scheme of the European Union Common Agricultural Policy.

Baroness Hayman: Changes to the Arable Area Payments Scheme (AAPS) which will apply in 2001 will be set out in the 2001 up-date to the 2000 explanatory guide to the AAPS which will be sent to all arable farmers later this year and will be placed in the Library of the House.

Arable Area Payments

Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What arrangements they are making to pay farmers interest on arable area payments which were paid late in 1995.

Baroness Hayman: MAFF will provide compensation in the form of interest to farmers who received late payment of their 1995 claims under the Arable Area Payments Scheme for the reasons highlighted in the Seventh Report of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration for Session 1999-2000. As agreed with the ombudsman, and in line with common practice across government departments, the compensation payments will be subject to a de minimis level of £50. MAFF has a full list of all the AAPS applicants that were affected, and work is in progress to calculate the compensation to which they are entitled. When that work has been completed the applicants will be notified of the amount of compensation to which they are due. There is no need for individual farmers to apply to the Ministry for payment.

Organic Food Standards

Lord Vinson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Hayman on 12th July (WA 33-34), whether the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food relies only on the standards laid down by the United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Standards (UKROFS) when awarding organic status; what steps they take to check the veracity of the scientific rationale used by UKROFS when drawing up such standards; and whether they will place a copy of the standards in the Library of the House.

Baroness Hayman: Organic status is not awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Producers, processors and importers of organic food are registered by private sector inspection bodies approved by UKROFS and, in a limited number of cases, by UKROFS itself. The inspection bodies, of which seven have been approved, must apply standards no less than those required by UKROFS. In general UKROFS standards are now set by Community legislation which is negotiated in the usual way. For organic crop products the UKROFS standards comply with those laid down by Council Regulation (EEC) 2092/91. For organic livestock and livestock products, existing national standards drawn up by UKROFS will shortly be replaced with standards complying with Council Regulation (EC) 1804/1999. We will arrange for copies of the existing UKROFS standards, and as soon as possible the revised ones for organic livestock and livestock products, to be placed in the Library of the House.

Asian Longhorn Beetle

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Hayman on 29 June (WA 104-105), whether they will list the expenditure budgeted by the Forestry Commission in the current financial year on (a) its own costs for working with overseas researchers; (b) its own research; and (c) its contribution to the costs of overseas research.

Baroness Hayman: The Forestry Commission does not have a specific budget for research on the Asian Longhorn Beetle, but last year it spent £17,000 working with overseas researchers, particularly in China and the USA, where extensive research is being undertaken on the beetle. The commission is not carrying out its own research, nor is it contributing financially to overseas research.

Asian Longhorn Beetle

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Hayman on 29th June (WA 104-105), when they expect, or hope, to find an appropriate, evironmentally sound method of controlling the Asian Longhorn Beetle.

Baroness Hayman: It is not yet possible to say when, or if, a suitable method of controlling the Asian Longhorn Beetle will be found. The research work is, however, well supported and progress is being made. Researchers in China are assessing various natural predators which attack the beetle during its larval and pupal stages. One such predator Dastarcus longulus, has been found to kill between 50 per cent and 70 per cent of the larvae and pupae in some areas in China. However, more research is required to discover if the populations of these natural predators can be manipulated to control the beetle effectively. In the USA, work has concentrated on using insect pathogens for controlling the beetle. Results so far indicate that one particular fungus, Beauveria bassiana, may have some potential.

El Alamein Anniversary

Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will support the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the battle of El Alamein in 2002.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: At present the Eighth Army Veterans Association is still deciding how they wish to commemorate the anniversary, but it is thought that the main event of commemoration will be a service of remembrance and thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey. The Army will, of course, do all that it can to support the commemoration.

Defence Estates

Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action is being taken to reorganise the Defence Estates.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: There are no plans to reorganise the Defence Estates agency, which was established in April 1999 to provide central management and oversight of the defence estate. The noble Lord may however, wish to be aware that on 7 June 2000 a document entitled In Trust and On Trust: The Estate Strategy was published which is a major output from the 1998 Strategic Defence Review. This document will establish improved procedures for delivering a more efficient and effective estate.
	A copy of this document has been placed in the Library of the House and is also available on the Internet.

Chinook ZD576

Lord Chalfont: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any legal advice was given to the senior Royal Air Force officers responsible for reviewing the conclusions of the Board of Inquiry into the accident involving Chinook Helicopter ZD576 on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Yes.

Chinook ZD576

Lord Jacobs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 12 July (WA 35) regarding the inquiry into the crash of a Chinook helicopter in the Mull of Kintyre in June 1994, what were the advantages to the crew (a) in terms of safety and (b) in terms of time saving in overflying the Mull rather than following the original flight plan.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave to the noble Earl, Lord Attlee, on 27 July 2000 (Official Report, columns WA 70-71).

Chinook ZD576

Lord Jacobs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 12 July (WA35) regarding the crash of the Chinook helicopter in June 1994, whilst it can be demonstrated that the original flight plan and the way point change is evidence that the crew did not intend to overfly the Mull, what evidence there is that the crew changed their mind and decided to overfly the Mull; and whether it is possible to estimate when that decision was made.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: There is no evidence of the decision, if any, that the pilots made to overfly the Mull. However, if overflying the Mull through cloud was indeed their intention they should have established flight at safety altitude under instrument flight rules.

EU Military Operations

Lord Roper: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the statement in Box 12.1 of the Spending Review 2000, which limits the area of deployment of future forces available to the European Union to "in and around Europe", represents an explicit agreement with European Union partners or an assumption of the Government.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: There are no specific geographical limits on possible EU-led military operations. We are making a planning assumption, for the purposes of an initial analysis of requirements, that within the agreed range of EU-led operations, the most demanding will occur in and around Europe. Forces should also be able to respond to crises worldwide albeit at lesser scale.

Kosovo: Troops

Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the current troop levels in Kosovo.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The UK currently contributes some 3,300 personnel to KFOR. We have maintained that flexibility and capability are the keys to successful operations in the Balkans. In this spirit, we have agreed to a NATO request to supply additional troops to cover the municipal election period in Kosovo, to ensure that the region's first steps towards democratisation are sure ones.
	Subject to confirmation of the election date, the 2nd Battalion the Light Infantry will deploy to Kosovo in mid-September for a period of two months. They will be at the disposal of Commander KFOR, Lt. General Juan Ortuno. We have no doubt that they will maintain the excellent tradition of UK forces in the region who, with their outstanding professionalism, dedication and skill, continue to make an outstanding contribution to the regeneration of Kosovo.

Porton Down: Tests

Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the cost of the testing carried out at Porton Down on various samples provided by the Baroness Cox in connection with the possible use of chemical weapons in southern Sudan in 1999.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The cost of testing carried out at CBD Porton Down on seventeen samples provided in connection with the possible use of chemical weapons in southern Sudan in 1999 was approximately £7,000.

Porton Down: Tests

Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they can provide details of the various scientific tests carried out at Porton Down on the samples provided by the Baroness Cox in connection with the possible use of chemical weapons in southern Sudan in 1999.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The methods used involved gas and liquid chromatography, combined with mass spectrometry for chemical agents and riot control agents, and atomic absorption spectrometry for arsenic. We have arranged for a copy of the report by CBD Porton Down to be placed in the Library of the House.

MR TRIGAT Anti-Tank Guided Weapon Programme

Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress had been made on the MR TRIGAT anti-tank guided weapon programme.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The UK signed the Memorandum of Understanding for the industrialisation and production phase of MR TRIGAT in June 1999 in the expectation that we would shortly proceed to contract and maintain the programme to deliver a modern anti-tank guided weapon capability by 2005 (when stocks of the existing MILAN system start to run down).
	Regrettably, MOU signature by all five participating nations has still not been achieved. Some 12 months after our MOU commitment we are no nearer to contract placement than we were then. This additional delay, to a programme that is already 10 years behind its original schedule, and the additional risk and uncertainty it creates is unacceptable. The UK's priority has to be to deliver the capability and equipment needed by our Armed Forces in an acceptable timescale.
	We have therefore decided that the UK should withdraw from the MR TRIGAT industrialisation and production programme and will pursue an alternative national procurement of an anti-tank guided weapon system. We plan to issue an invitation to tender in the next few weeks for the supply of commercially available systems to meet the requirements of our infantry light forces by 2005. In parallel, we are reviewing our requirements for an anti-tank capability for mechanised and armoured infantry units prior to determining whether these too could be met by similar commercially available systems. Our initial assessment is that the alternative systems now available will be in many ways more capable than MR TRIGAT and offer significant financial savings.
	We recognise that this decision will be a disappointment to our partners and to those areas of UK industry that had expected to benefit from MR TRIGAT. The UK remains committed to the principles of European collaboration provided it is in the UK's best interests. Regrettably it was not possible to proceed on this basis with MR TRIGAT, but there are a range of other programmes on which we remain engaged to good effect with our European partners.

Disposal Sales Agency

Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What key targets have been set for the Disposal Sales Agency for the financial year 2000-01

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Since its launch in October 1994 the agency has positioned itself as the market leader in the disposal sales of surplus equipment and goods in the public sector. The key targets which have been set for the chief executive of the Disposal Sales Agency for this financial year are aimed at securing disposal receipts from the sale of surplus capital assets and inventory items from both the Ministry of Defence and a range of public sector organisations. The chief executive of the agency has been set the following key targets for the financial year 2000-01. Key Target 1: To achieve disposal sales gross income from sales of surplus government owned equipment and stores of £40m. Key Target 2: To achieve a unit cost of generating £1m of sales of £87.5K. Key Target 3: To agree customer supplier agreements (CSAs) based on the transfer to DSA of ownership of assets declared for disposal. Key Target 4: To establish performance measures for DSA based on added value and to set targets for 2001-02. Key Target 5: To refine the agency's web-site and establish the feasibility of e-commerce for disposal business.

Civil Service: Industry and Commerce Secondments

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On a departmental basis, (a) how many staff are currently on secondment to government departments from commercial companies; (b) from which companies these secondments are drawn; and (c) what is the cost, if any, to the taxpayer of these arrangements.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: (a) The Modernising Government White Paper and Sir Richard Wilson's report to the Prime Minister on Civil Service reform made it clear that this Government are keen to promote the exchange of people and good practice between the Civil Service and other organisations. Such opportunities can take many forms, ranging from temporary secondments (lasting more than 3 months), to short term attachments (less than 3 months)-- to job sharing and joint training. In the year ended 31 March 1999, there were 345 secondments from industry and commerce to the Civil Service. A breakdown of this figure by department is attached. Figures from 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000 are not yet available.
	
		Industry & Commerce Secondments - Inward Only
		
			 Department/agency M F Total 
			 Cabinet Office 3 5 8 
			 Charity Commission 0 0 0 
			 COI 0 0 0 
			 CPS 0 0 0 
			 Crown Office 0 0 0 
			 DCMS 0 0 0 
			 DETR 14 3 17 
			 DfEE 0 0 0 
			 DfID 0 1 1 
			 DoH 6 4 10 
			 DSS 0 0 0 
			 DTI 160 23 183 
			 Employment Service 16 11 27 
			 FCO 0 0 0 
			 Govt. Actuary's Department 0 0 0 
			 Govt. Office for the Regions 16 3 19 
			 GCHQ 0 0 0 
			 Health & Safety Executive 2 0 2 
			 HM C&E 0 1 1 
			 HM Land Registry 0 0 0 
			 HM Treasury 16 5 21 
			 Home Office 0 0 0 
			 Inland Revenue 0 1 1 
			 Intervention Board 0 0 0 
			 LCD 0 1 1 
			 Legal Sec. to Law Officers 0 0 0 
			 MAFF 0 0 0 
			 MOD 23 1 25 
			 National Savings 0 0 0 
			 NILO 0 0 0 
			 Northern Ireland Office 0 0 0 
			 Northern Ireland Court Service 0 0 0 
			 OFFER 0 0 0 
			 OFGAS 0 0 0 
			 OFLOT 0 0 0 
			 OFSTED 0 0 0 
			 OFT 0 0 0 
			 OFTEL 3 3 6 
			 OFWAT 0 0 0 
			 OHMCIS 0 0 0 
			 OPRAF 0 0 0 
			 Ordnance Survey 0 0 0 
			 ORR 0 0 0 
			 Privy Council Office 0 0 0 
			 Public Record Office 0 0 0 
			 Registers of Scotland 0 0 0 
			 Royal Mint 0 0 0 
			 Scottish Office 7 8 15 
			  
			 Serious Fraud Office 0 0 0 
			 Treasury Solicitors Dept 0 0 0 
			 War Pensions Agency 0 0 0 
			 Welsh Office 4 4 8 
			 Totals 270 75 345 
		
	
	(b) Information as to which individual commercial companies secondees come from is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportional cost.
	(c) It is difficult to quantify the cost to the taxpayer of any secondments as each secondment is negotiated separately. The most usual arrangement is for the secondee to continue to be paid by his or her employer, which in turn seeks reimbursement from the receiving organisation. This also applies to any civil servants being seconded out to other organisations.

Good Friday Agreement Releases: Re-arrests

Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any persons granted early release from prison under the Good Friday arrangements have been re-arrested in connection with crimes of violence.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To date a total of 11 early release licensees have been arrested and charged with further offences. Out of the eleven, eight were charged in connection with crimes of violence. One of the eight was acquitted and the charges were not proceeded with against another. Three licensees have been charged for non-violent offences.

Good Friday Agreement: Deaths and Injuries

Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Waht are the number of (a) killings, (b) woundings, and (c) persons exiled by terrorists in Northern Ireland since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: During the period 10 April 1998 to 25th July 2000 the Royal Ulster Constabularly recorded 53 deaths and 2,882 injuries due to the security situation in Northern Ireland. No figures are available which might indicate the number of persons forced to leave the Province by paramilitaries.

Millennium Dome

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What sum will be paid to English Parterships as a consequence of the sale of the Millennium Dome to Dome Europe, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nomura; and
	When they will publish the full terms and conditions of the sale of the Millenium Dome to Dome Europe, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nomura.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The proposed terms of the sale of the Dome to Dome Europe must remain commercially confidential at present, while negotiations with Nomura as preferred bidder continue. Details of the sale will be made available once it has been completed.
	On 27 July, Hilary Armstrong and I announced that some £53 million should be paid to the New Millennium Experience Company from total expected early payments from the competition of the £105 million. There is also provision for additional payment for land value in certain circumstances and a share of the profits if the business changes hands. The remainder of this total amount, after meeting third party commitments, will go to English Partnerships. I enclose a copy of my answer to the House reporting this decision.

Millennium Dome

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the projected visitor numbers for the period up to and including 31 December 2000, set by the latest business plan published by the New Millennium Experience Company, can be achieved.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Four million people have already visited the Dome, making it the most successful pay-to-visit attraction in the UK. Both NMEC and the Millennium Commission keep the revised target of 6 million paying visitors under review on an ongoing basis.

Millennium Dome

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What agreement has been reached between Nomura and the Government with regard to the warranties and indemnities which will form part of the contract of sale of the Millennium Dome.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The proposed terms of the sale of the Dome to Dome Europe must remain commercially confidential at present, while negotiations with Nomura as preferred bidder continue. Details of the sale will be made available once it has been completed.

Millennium Dome

Baroness Seccombe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 29 June (WA 15-16), whether he will publish a table showing for each month of 2000 the percentage of visitors admitted free to the Dome, the percentage admitted on a reduced price ticket and the absolute number of visitors in each category.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The table below outlines the information requested:
	
		
			  Total Free  1 Total Discounted 2 Total Sponsors from Discounted 3 
			 Jan 2000 8,693 48,536 14,586 
			 Feb 2000 69,577 54,854 9,169 
			 Mar 2000 98,348 57,754 4,892 
			 Apr 2000 62,478 104,834 12,077 
			 May 2000 104,937 143,805 13,456 
			 Jun 2000 121,004 151,830 14,052 
		
	
	(2) This includes free school visits, carers of disabled people, sponsor ticket allocation, accompanying teachers on paying school visits, coach drivers, Greenwich residents, NMEC guests and VIPs.
	(3) These reflect a range of promotions and offers which are normal for visitor attraction businesses and are factored into the company's business strategy and planning. For example, NMEC has and will run a number of offers and promotions with its sponsors for customers; and NMEC has and continues to run a special price ticket for entry after 4 pm. A key promotion with Marks and Spencer concluded on 30 June and this is likely to be evident in subsequent month's data.
	(4) There are several issues in terms of the data integrity regarding the number of Free Sponsor admissions in the attendance months to date. Due to the fact that NMEC ticketing and admission systems are different we are unable to establish non-attendance vs. bookings. This is obviously more likely in the case of free issue tickets, i.e., sponsors and passholders.
	The admission system does not differentiate between free and paying attendance at a sufficiently detailed level to provide accurate analysis, i.e., it will show that an admission is from an Enta booking, but not that it is a sponsor voucher.
	The redemption of sponsor vouchers via the ticketing system (Enta) does not differentiate between a free sponsor voucher being redeemed for a specific attendance date and a sponsor voucher purchased via a bulk purchase agreement (e.g. Tesco's 50,000 vouchers at £10 each). Passholders of platinum, gold, silver and bronze passes are able to bring up to five guests. These are invariably not booked in advance via the ticketing system and are not noted in the admission system.
	The above and several other issues mean that we are unable to provide any form of reasonably accurate analysis.
	The numbers attached are an approximation and as such should ideally be used for review purposes. Clearly, there is insufficient accuracy for them to be regarded as audited or validated information.

Government Car Service

Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 28 July, what weighting is given in purchasing of cars towards those manufactured in this country.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document to the Government Car and Despatch Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive, Mr Nick Matheson, to write to the noble Lord.
	Letter from Mr Nick Matheson, Chief Executive, to Lord Hoyle
	"Lord Falconer of Thoroton, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, has asked me in my capacity as the Chief Executive responsible for the Government Car and Despatch Agency to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the weighting given to purchasing cars manufactured in this country.
	In establishing whether a particular car is suitable for use by the Government Car Service I have to be satisfied that I am achieving value for money, that I meet the guidelines set by the Prime Minister and that I comply with European Union procurement regulations. I cannot favour one manufacturer over another purely on the grounds of the country of manufacture of a particular vehicle."

Government Car Service

Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 6th July (WA 148), which of the cars listed are supplied to the Northern Ireland Office by the Government Car and Despatch Agency for the use of Ministers and senior officials; and whether they will list the number, type and make of each car.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: I refer the noble Lord to my answer of 24 July 2000 (col. WA 16.)

Northern Ireland: Discrimination Law

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to introduce measures to make it unlawful for public authorities in Northern Ireland to exercise their public functions in a way which is indirectly discriminatory against members of religious or racial groups.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: General law on race and religious discrimination is a matter for the devolved administration. Any change in the law to make it unlawful for public authorities to act in a way which led to indirect discrimination on religious or racial grounds would therefore be a matter for the devolved administration, subject to the Secretary of State's consent to any provisions relating to reserved matters. The Secretary of State has no proposals to amend the provisions of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 relating to discrimination by public authorities.

Football: Funding of Competitions

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether through the Football Foundation, they will support and help to fund the establishment of a fourth division of the Football League from the existing Nationwide Conference, with an appropriate promotion and relegation system, to assist the development of teams in the lower divisions.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Although it is for the Football Foundation to make its own decisions on funding, the Government does not envisage that it will make funds available to establish a fourth division of the Football League. The foundation is a funding body, and decisions on the constitutions of football's competitions are matters for the sport's governing bodies.

Tourism

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in recognition of its importance to Britain's economy, they will add tourism to the title of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Tourism expenditure was about £64 billion last year and about 1.8 million people are employed in tourism-related jobs, so the industry is indeed very important for us all. We do not think a change of name for the department would significantly change the status and success of the industry. We are confident that we can sponsor tourism vigorously alongside the arts and sport as part of the Government's broader cultural policies.

Unemployment

Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their estimate of the impact upon the level of unemployment of the increased state spending recently announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government's macroeconomic framework is designed to deliver high and stable levels of growth and employment; this platform of economic stability has already delivered an increase in employment of over one million since the election. The new spending plans are set within prudent limits and meet the clear fiscal rules to ensure macroeconomic stability. The Government have adhered to the fiscal spending envelope for the next three years set out in Budget 2000. Within this, current spending is planned to rise by 2.5 per cent a year in real terms, in line with the neutral assessment of trend growth in the economy, and net investment will more than double to 1.8 per cent of GDP by 2003-04.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Management Review

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they accept any or all of the recommendations of the Montagu review, the external investigation into management of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; and, if so, when and how they will be implemented.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The peer review of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport set out a wide range of proposals. Some have already been implemented, or are in the process of implementation. Others require the department to consult other organisations (for example, the Treasury and the NDPBs sponsored by the department) before a decision can be made on their implementation. The review is part of a continuing programme of action to improve the management of the department, as part of the overall Civil Service modernisation programme. Action prompted by the review will be incorporated within that wider programme.

Broadcasting: Regional Programmes

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are their plans to require commercial broadcast companies to provide a minimum broadcast time of regional programmes.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government will publish a White Paper later this year which will set out our proposals for reform of broadcasting and telecommunications regulation. We invited ideas for issues to be addressed in the White Paper and we are presently reviewing the responses. Proposals to review the requirements for regional programming will be considered in that context.

Sudden Deaths in Sport

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What estimate they have made of the incidence of sudden death in sport among (a) males and (b) females.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Her Majesty's Government is concerned that such deaths occur in apparently fit and healthy people who are taking part in what should be beneficial sporting activities, and this issue is being investigated.
	The National Sports Medicine Institute of the United Kingdom (NSMI) has convened a working party made up of leading experts in the field of exercise medicine to look at the issue of screening for causes of sudden death in athletes. Once the findings of the working party are published this will give a clearer idea of any issues that need to be taken forward in this area.

Sports Dispute Resolution Panel

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress they have made in setting up the independent Sports Dispute Resolution Panel; what costs have been incurred by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in setting up and administering the work of the panel; who are the members of the panel; what is their remit; and when they began their work.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Sports Dispute Resolution Panel (SDRP) is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, independent of government, set up by the principal sports organisations representing competitors, governing bodies and sponsors of sport. The current members of the company are the British Olympic Association (including the Athletes Commission), the Central Council of Physical Recreation, the Institute of Professional Sport, the Institute of Sports Sponsorship, the Northern Ireland Sports Forum, the Scottish Sports Association, and the Welsh Sports Association. SDRP is currently funded by an annual grant of £40,000 from the UK Sports Council.
	SDRP's remit is to provide an independent and effective service for the speedy resolution of sports disputes in the United Kingdom and to promote best practice within the field of sports dispute resolution. SDRP offers arbitration, mediation and advisory services on any sports-related dispute, including those involving doping, selection and commercial contracts. The service extends to providing suitably qualified persons to chair or sit on governing body disciplinary tribunals and review panels.
	The service is delivered through SDRP's standing panels of arbitrators and mediators, supported by a part-time secretariat. There are currently 99 members of the Panel of Arbitrators and 36 members of the Panel of Mediators. They are drawn principally from the legal profession and include retired judges, part-time judges, Queen's Counsel and Centre for Dispute Resolution (CEDR) accredited mediators.
	SDRP commenced its work in October 1999 following the appointment of its first part-time director, Jon Siddall. Four referrals have been received to date, with others expected shortly.

Hotels and Restaurants: Better Regulation Task Force Report

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will publish their response to the recommendations made in the Better Regulation Task Force Report, Tackling the Impact of Increasing Regulations--a Case Study of Hotels and Restaurants.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government propose to publish their response to the report by the end of September. Copies of the response will be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.

Supermarkets: Inquiry

Lord McNally: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Competition Commission inquiry into supermarkets has taken into account the effect on small publishing houses and independent newsagents of Tesco's recent action in delisting certain titles that have not complied with suggested new distribution arrangements; and when the report of the inquiry will be published.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The scope of the inquiry into supermarkets is a matter for the Competition Commission. The Commission is due to deliver its report to the Secretary of State on 31 July. The department has an administrative target to publish monopoly reports within 10 weeks of receipt of the report. Publication may take place sooner or later depending on a number of factors.

Incomes and Taxation

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the current rate of tax on personal incomes in each country of the European Union, and whether they will indicate in respect of each threshold of income (expressed in pounds sterling and euros) at which this rate applies.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested for 1998, the most recent year for which comparative data is currently available, is as follows:
	
		The information requested for 1998, the most recent year for which comparative data is currently available
		
			  Top Income Tax Rate Top Income Tax Threshold (£'s)1 Top Income Tax Threshold (Euros)1 
			 Austria 50% 31,110 50,880 
			 Belgium 55%2 36,690 59,990 
			 Denmark 15%3 20,610 33,690 
			 Finland 38%4 31,480 51,470 
			 France 54% 27,360 44,760 
			 Germany 53% 37,750 61,380 
			 Greece 45% 15,280 25,070 
			 Ireland 46% 7,770 12,700 
			 Italy 45.5% 43,200 70,200 
			 Luxembourg 46% 40,020 65,440 
			 Netherlands 60% 28,800 47,090 
			 Portugal 40% 19,150 31,340 
			 Spain 47.6% 38,670 63,160 
			 Sweden 25%5 15,410 25,200 
			 UK 40% 27,100 44,310 
		
	
	1 Using currency exchange rates as at 3 August 2000.
	2 Belgium: Government levies a crisis surcharge of 3%, plus municipalities levy a local income tax by way of a surcharge on national tax. Average rate around 7%.
	3 Denmark: In addition, municipal income tax is levied at flat rates ranging from 27% to 35%. Average 32.4%. There is a proviso that maximum combined rate of municipal and national tax (but excluding church tax) cannot exceed 58%.
	4 Finland: In addition, municipal income tax is levied at flat rates ranging from 15% to 19.75%. Average rate is 17.55%.
	5 Sweden: In addition, local income tax is levied. Rates determined by municipality. Average rate is 30.76%.
	Source: OECD publication Taxing Wages: Taxes and Wages and Salaries, Social Security Contributions for Employees and their Employers, Child Benefits.

Sudan: Exports

Baroness Cox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What items appear in, and the exact nature of, the six Standard Individual Export Licences given for exports to Sudan as reported in the 1999 Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls, other than the military truck as stated in HC162W, 30 November 1999.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The 1999 Annual Report sets out details of seven Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) issued for the export of goods to Sudan. Three of these SIELs covered the export of goods listed in Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order, 1994, commonly known as the Military List. All three Military List SIELs covered the export of military cargo vehicles for humanitarian aid purposes. HC162W details one SIEL; the other two SIELs were notified by letter to the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on 11 August 1999. A copy of the letter was placed in the Library of the House.
	Four SIELs covered the export of dual-use goods: three covered the export of toxic chemical precursors, and one covered the export of commercial explosives firing sets.

Queen Mother's 100th Birthday

Baroness Strange: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will declare 4 August a public holiday to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen Mother's 100th birthday.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: I refer the noble Baroness to the answer I gave to the right honourable Baroness Trumpington on 25 May 2000, col. 105.

Exports Promotion

Viscount Waverley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In the light of the global market for environmental technology and services, whether they will appoint a dedicated Export Promoter for Environmental Technology and Services to support British exports, in addition to the recent appointment of an Export Promoter focused purely on Energy and Environment.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Trade Partners UK has five Export Promoters supporting exports of environmental technology and services in specific markets, as well as the recently appointed EP dedicated to Energy and Environment. Trade Partners UK also works closely with JEMU, the Joint (DTI/DETR) Environmental Markets Unit, dedicated to promoting the UK environment sector in overseas markets.

Iraq: Medical Equipment Supplies

The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 29 June (WA 100), whether they accept that delays in the processing of applications for the export of essential medical equipment to Iraq by recognised charities have occurred, and are still occurring, regardless of United Nations sanctions.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: This Government recognise the problems that delays in the processing of export licence applications can cause. We aim to give applicants a decision as quickly as is consistent with the need for careful assessment.
	The export of medical equipment to Iraq must be either authorised by, or notified to (depending on the nature of the goods involved), the United Nations Sanctions Committee.
	In the case of medical equipment there may be lengthy lists of medicines that need to be checked. If these medicines take the form of vaccines they may also be covered by the Import and Export (ImpEx) mechanism established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1051. This mechanism requires certain goods, as specified in an agreed list, to be subject to special controls, including the monitoring of their end use in Iraq, because they are capable of being used in weapons of mass destruction programmes.

Eurosceptic Beliefs: EC Booklet

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether it is their view that Euroscepticism, as detailed in the European Commission's recent publication A Glossary of Eurosceptic Beliefs, discourages British business and industry, and especially small and medium-sized enterprises, from fully and enthusiastically participating in the Single European Market.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: I believe the European Commission's booklet performs a useful function in dispelling some of the myths about our membership of the EU. The fact is that the Single Market is a success and has brought substantial benefits to British business. Countries in the EU now account for 53 per cent of our exports in goods and services, worth around £120 billion last year; eight of our top ten trading partners are in Europe; and the Treasury estimates that over 3 million jobs are linked to trade with the EU. The UK has the largest number of inward investors in Europe and is seen by US and Japanese investors as a springboard into Europe. Our membership of the Single Market is a key part of the reason.
	Despite this, it is possible that misinformation about the EU might make small businesses wary of seizing the opportunities presented by their access to the world's largest single market. That is why my department has on hand a comprehensive range of support services, available through the Small Business Service, Trade Partners UK and the Action Single Market team, to help businesses find their feet in Europe. My department is also actively targeting, through constructive engagement with colleagues in other member states, the weaknesses which do remain in the Single Market so that British businesses can compete on equal terms with their European colleagues.
	To underpin the importance of creating a friendly environment for small firms within the EU, this Government played a leading role in securing agreement at the Feira European Council on a Small Firms Charter. The charter commits the EU to a range of actions to allow enterprise and small firms to flourish within the EU.

Sudan: Trade

Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which British Companies are currently doing business in Sudan.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Names of companies operating in overseas markets are not normally divulged as sensitive information of this kind is a matter of commercial confidentiality. In the case of Sudan, as we do not actively promote trade in that market, there have been no departmentally led events through which we might build such a picture. This means that our knowledge of companies operating in that market is, in any case, very patchy.

Solar Electricity

Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their policy towards research into the conversion of solar radiation into electricity; and what resources they will devote to this in the next five years.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Government believe that solar electricity, or photovoltaics, has considerable potential in the long-term, but is unlikely to make a significant contribution to UK electricity supplies in the short term. We are working with industry on increasing their competitiveness, and developing the technology, information and skills which will be needed in the future.
	The Department of Trade and Industry has had a solar energy R&D programme for a number of years, as part of the new and Renewable Energy Programme. This has supported a wide range of projects including examination of such issues as standards, grid-connection and architectural integration, and the production of studies on design, installation and monitoring. The budget for the Solar Photovolataics Programme has risen from £0.5 milllion to £2 million over the past five years. Budgets for future years have not yet been decided but they are likely to go on increasing.
	In the spring of 1999 the DTI announced three major new PV initiatives:
	(a) a Call for Proposals for PV Components and Systems, with the aim of enhancing the competitiveness of UK companies;
	(b) a Domestic PV Roof Field Trial, to test a variety of actual PV installations under UK conditions; and
	(c) a Large-Scale Building-Integrated PV Demonstration Scheme, to develop best practice and operational experience.
	The total value of these three intiatives is expected to be £15 million, with £5 million coming from the DTI's solar energy R&D budget over a number of years. In addition, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's Renewable and New Energy Technologies Programme of basic research, worth £3.5 million per annum, includes photovoltaics amongst its priorities.

Starter Home Initiative: Key Workers

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What criteria they intend to use in identifying key workers, as outlined in the Housing Green Paper, who may receive preferential treatment.

Lord Whitty: The noble Baroness refers to the Starter Home Initiative set out in the Government's Housing Green Paper--Quality and Choice: A Decent Home for All.
	The Green Paper seeks proposals on how the initiative could be operated most successfully and cost effectively. During the autumn the Government will announce details of the initiative, including eligibility criteria, in the light of responses to the Green Paper. The consultation period closed at the end of July.

Young Drivers: Penalty Points

Lord Northbrook: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proportion of car drivers under 18, 19, 20 and 21 have, in each case, had their licence endorsed with at least:
	(a) one penalty point;
	(b) two penalty points;
	(c) three penalty points;
	(d) four penalty points;
	(e) five penalty points; and
	(f) six penalty points.

Lord Whitty: Figures on penalty points for car drivers are not held in the form requested. The information cannot be provided because of the disproportionate cost of extracting the information from the computer record.

HGVs: Overloading

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What estimate they have made of the proportion of heavy goods vehicles operating over their weight limits; and what studies have been undertaken to support these estimates.

Lord Whitty: Of the 64,000 heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) weighed by the Vehicle Inspectorate (VI) in the year to April 2000, 5 per cent were overloaded by 5 per cent or more on either axle or gross weight. But VI weighs vehicles that are likely to be overloaded and this figure is not representative of the HGV fleet as a whole.
	Through the Continuing Survey of Road Goods Transport (CSRGT), the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions monitors the freight carried by HGVs registered in Great Britain and the proportion of journeys where cargo is limited by weight, as distinct from volume. The CSRGT figures show that in 1999 about 30 per cent of laden HGV journeys involved loads limited by weight. As a proportion of all HGV journeys, this figure would be lower, around 22 per cent.

Rights of Way: Restrictions on Traffic

Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will take early action to prevent rights of way, whether footpaths or bridleways, or other old routes established before the development of motor vehicles, from being used by such vehicles.

Lord Whitty: It is already an offence under Section 34 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to drive a motor vehicle on a footpath or bridleway without lawful authority. The Countryside and Rights of Way Bill amends Section 34 to make it an offence to drive on a restricted byway--the new category of highway introduced by the Bill for walkers, cyclists, horse riders and drivers of horse-drawn vehicles. The Bill also provides that, for the purposes of Section 34, a footpath, bridleway or restricted byway shown on a definitive map is deemed to be such a highway unless prima facie evidence to the contrary is produced. Finally, the Bill extends Section 34 to cover not just motor vehicles but the broader category of mechanically propelled vehicles. It is not the intention of the provisions relating to restricted byways, or those relating to Section 34, to extinguish public rights to drive motor vehicles on highways but the Countryside and Rights of Way Bill extends the grounds on which traffic regulation orders may be made to include landscape and nature conservation.

Vehicle Inspectorate: Enforcement of HGV Regulations

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many staff were employed by the Vehicle Inspectorate during each of the last five years and what proportion of these have been involved in enforcement duties concerning lorries.

Lord Whitty: The average number of Vehicle Inspectorate employees for each of the last five years and the proportion of those examiners involved in frontline enforcement duties concerning lorries (Heavy Goods Vehicles) is set out in the table below. These are backed up by administrative staff whose support activities cannot easily be broken down by type of vehicle.
	
		
			  1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 
			 Total Employees 1,559 1,582 1,633 1,726 1,808 
			 Numbers on HGV enforcement 193.7 200.7 197.1 193.2 205.3

Vehicle Inspectorate: Enforcement of HGV Regulations

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many lorry weight checks were carried out by the Vehicle Inspectorate and other agencies during the last year for which figures are available between 18.00 hours and 06.00 hours on Mondays to Thursdays.

Lord Whitty: The Vehicle Inspectorate's "out of hours" data are collected for the period between 19.00 hours to 06.00 hours Mondays to Fridays and the whole of Saturdays and Sundays.
	The number of lorries weighed in these periods on Mondays to Fridays is 1,686.

Vehicle Inspectorate: Enforcement of HGV Regulations

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many lorry weight checks were carried out by the Vehicle Inspectorate and other agencies during the last year for which figures are available between 18.00 hours and 06.00 hours on Fridays to Mondays.

Lord Whitty: The Vehicle Inspectorate's "out of hours" data are collected for the period between 19.00 hours to 06.00 hours Mondays to Fridays and the whole of Saturdays and Sundays.
	The number of lorries weighed on Saturdays and Sundays is 6,580.

Vehicle Inspectorate: Enforcement of HGV Regulations

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many sites in England and Wales would be involved if it were a requirement to weigh the axles of every HGV exceeding 30 tonnes leaving major road freight facilities, ports or premises with a throughput of more than (a) 20,000, (b) 30,000, or (c) 50,000 vehicles a year.

Lord Whitty: The information requested is not held centrally. In the context of Amendment No. 410 to the Transport Bill, DETR officials estimated, after consultation with the industry, that there were at least 100,000 sites in the UK with an annual throughput of 10,000 or more lorries over 7.5 tonnes. This estimate included HGV operating centres, depots, distribution centres, motorway service areas and retail and industrial parks but excluded, for example, construction sites. We have no information other than this. However, in order to give you the fullest response, I have asked DETR officials to again consult with the industry to estimate the number of sites registering the alternative throughputs of vehicles given.

HGVs: Damage to Roads and Bridges

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the damage impact on road infrastructure of lorry axles weighing 10.5 tonnes, 11.5 tonnes and 12.5 tonnes respectively compared with the average motor car.

Lord Whitty: For both roads and bridges the structural damage caused by the average motor car is negligible. The wear on road pavements from lorries is generally considered proportional to the 4th power of the axle load. Thus, lorry axle loads of 11.5 tonnes and 12.5 tonnes cause about 40 per cent and 200 per cent more wear than a 10.5 tonne axle. A simple relationship for bridges does not exist.
	Current design standards for main roads reflect all normally permitted lorries with axle weights up to 11.5 tonnes. The presence of abnormal vehicles with heavier axles including 12.5 tonnes is also allowed for in design and permitted on certain routes but represents only a minor percentage of lorries. Vehicle construction and use regulations aim to minimise wear by defining how the total vehicle weight is transferred to the road avoiding unduly heavy individual axles.

Special Educational Needs Regulations

Baroness Darcy de Knayth: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, with regard to the proposed changes to the 1994 Special Educational Needs regulations and code of practice, there is any change in meaning or legal duty intended in the change of terminology whereby in both documents the word "specify" is replaced with the words "set out".

Baroness Blackstone: The legal duty remains the same. The changes proposed to the regulations and code of practice are intended to simplify the language used.

Age Diversity in Employment

Baroness Greengross: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What work has been completed, or is planned, to implement conclusion 5 of the Performance and Innovation Unit report Winning the Generation Game published in April, that, pending the review of the code of practice on Age Diversity, "options for the preferred model of legislation should be developed and costed".

Baroness Blackstone: The Government have always made clear that the evaluation of the code of practice on Age Diversity in Employment and other research will inform any plans for future legislation.
	We have in place a comprehensive research programme, including an economic impact assessment, which is looking at the economic, financial and practical implications of partly or fully implementing age legislation modelled on the code. Other research includes looking at the reasons why other countries have introduced age legislation and how successful it has been in altering the labour market position of older people.
	Findings from all our research will be published during 2001.

Special Educational Needs and Disability Rights in Education Bill

Lord Baker of Dorking: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they intend to publish the Special Educational Needs and Disability in Education Bill, as promised by Baroness Blackstone in the debate on the Queen's Speech (H.L. Deb., 22 November 1999, col. 301).

Baroness Blackstone: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment announced on 21 June (Official Report, col. 209W) that we will publish the draft Special Educational Needs and Disability Rights in Education Bill in the current parliamentary Session and that we will introduce the Bill as soon as parliamentary time allows. This remains our intention.

Sex Discrimination by Public Authorities

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to introduce measures to make it unlawful for public authorities in the United Kingdom to exercise their public functions in a way which is indirectly discriminatory against women or men respectively.

Baroness Blackstone: Yes. When legislative time permits we will make it unlawful for public authorities generally to discriminate directly or indirectly on grounds of sex in the exericise of their functions.

Equal Opportunities: Promotion by Public Authorities

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to introduce measures to impose a duty on public authorities in Great Britain to promote equality of opportunity and treatment for both sexes and for the disabled.

Baroness Blackstone: The Government are committed to introducing a statutory duty on public authorities to promote equal opportunities between women and men and for disabled people when parliamentary time permits.

Seasonal Workers: Benefit Access

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What studies they have conducted into the difficulties seasonal workers experience in signing on and off benefit.

Baroness Blackstone: No specific studies have been conducted, but the Government have accepted Lord Grabiner's recommendation that it should be made easier for all people to resume their claim for Jobseeker's Allowance after a short period in work. This department is working with the Department of Social Security to take this commitment forward.

Employment Service: Discretionary Powers

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Over what areas of provision of help to those seeking work the Employment Service has discretion.

Baroness Blackstone: Advisers have some discretion in deciding eligibility for entry to the New Deal but not for the other programmes designed for unemployed people seeking work. Once a client is accepted as eligible for an Employment Service programme, advisers have considerable discretion in agreeing the mix of provision best suited to that individual.

Sudan: Truck Export Licences

Baroness Cox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the goods which were given Standard Individual Export Licences for Sudan were in contravention of the European Union arms embargo on Sudan; and
	Whether they will not allow any further export of goods on the military list to Sudan until there is peace.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We believe that the EU arms embargo on arms, munitions and military equipment in relation to Sudan should remain in place as long as the civil war continues. The UK fully implements and enforces this embargo. We have taken a national decision to interpret the embargo as covering all items on the Military List.
	In 1999, we exceptionally approved the export to Sudan of three ex-MoD Bedford trucks which had been stripped and painted white. These were for the use of humanitarian agencies operating in southern Sudan for the delivery of food and other assistance to help alleviate the suffering of which we are all aware. This decision in no way affects our commitment to full implementation and enforcement of the EU embargo.
	The exports were announced to Parliament in a reply I gave to the noble Baroness, Lady Massey, on 2 December 1999, (Official Report, col.WA 65); and in a letter which my honourable friend the Minister of State, Peter Hain, wrote to the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on 11 August 1999.

European Convention on Human Rights: Protocol No. 12

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the final text of Protocol No. 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights; and when the Protocol will be opened for signature and ratification by the Contracting States to the European Convention.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Copies of the provisional text of Protocol No. 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights will be placed in the Library. The Protocol will be opened for signature on 4 November 2000.

European Convention on Human Rights: Protocol No. 12

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to sign and ratify Protocol No. 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We have no plans at present to sign and ratify Protocol No. 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights.

Sudan: the Gunboat "Melik"

Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have made to the Sudanese Government about the possible temporary repatriation of and renovation of the gunboat "Melik".

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: None. The "Melik" remains on the banks of the Nile in Khartoum and is a part of Sudanese history.

Sudan: Aerial Bombing

Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have made to the government of Sudan about aerial bombings in the Nuba mountains.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We have raised the general issue of aerial bombing with the Government of Sudan on many occasions, most recently with the Sudanese Foreign Minister during his visit to London in July. We have also raised the case of the bombing of a school in the Nuba Mountains with them.
	President Bashir has announced that he has ordered the cessation of aerial bombing of targets in the South except where there is active fighting under way. We welcome this and look to the Government of Sudan to honour it.

Sudan: Ballistic Missile Plant

Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 10 April (WA 1), what evidence they have to support the allegation that a ballistic missile plant is being built in Sudan.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We are aware that allegations have been made to this effect but have no evidence that a ballistic missile plant is being built in Sudan. We remain deeply concerned about the ongoing war in Sudan, and will therefore continue to monitor such allegations closely.

Chinese Nationals: Visit Visa Applications

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In the present year and for the two previous years on a quarterly basis, how many applications for entry visas to visit the United Kingdom were made by Chinese nationals, including residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; and how many were approved and rejected.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Applicants for visit visas may apply at any British diplomatic post providing a full entry clearance service. Posts do not collect statistics based on the nationality of applicants. Only limited information is collated on the nationality of applicants applying in third countries. Consequently, worldwide figures for the number of Chinese nationals and residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region applying for visit visas at entry clearance posts are not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The following tables show the number of applications received, issued and refused in Peking, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong in the years 1998 and 1999 and for the first six months of 2000. The total of third country national applications for each full year, included in these figures, is identified. Because of the way in which statistics are gathered, a quarterly breakdown of applications received and issued is not possible before 1 January 2000, although quarterly refusal figures are available. 1998
	Non settlement applications:
	
		
			  Received Issued 
			 Peking 33,245 27,544 
			 Shanghai 5,653 n/a (computer problem) 
			 Hong Kong 11,271 10,240 
		
	
	Non settlement applications refused:
	
		
			  Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 
			 Peking 676 652 720 579 
			 Shanghai 16 38 153 167 
			 Hong Kong 57 68 153 149 
		
	
	A total of 7,294 applications were submitted in China by third country nationals in 1998. 1999
	Non settlement applications:
	
		
			  Received Issued 
			 Peking 34,836 28,402 
			 Shanghai 8,286 7,151 
			 Hong Kong 5,889 4,833 
			 Guangzhou 4,109 3,910 
		
	
	Non settlement applications refused:
	
		
			  Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 
			 Peking 581 546 665 1,232 
			 Shanghai Data not available because of 
			 computer problems 
			  
			 Hong Kong 107 71 127 55 
			 Guangzhou -- 6 62 100 
		
	
	A total of 5,528 applications were submitted in China by third country nationals in 1999. 2000
	Non settlement applications received:
	
		
			  Q1 Q2 
			 Peking 7,440 10,627 
			 Shanghai 1,862 5,766 
			 Hong Kong 1,158 3,181 
			 Guangzhou 1,968 3,587 
		
	
	Non settlement applications issued:
	
		
			  Q1 Q2 
			 Peking 5,843 8,374 
			 Shanghai 1,682 3,462 
			 Hong Kong 1,008 1,789 
			 Guangzhou 1,501 2,775 
		
	
	Non settlement applications refused:
	
		
			  Q1 Q2 
			 Peking 1,378 829 
			 Shanghai 172 202 
			 Hong Kong 51 68 
			 Guangzhou 169 327 
		
	
	The totals of applications received, issued and refused will not necessarily match. Applications can be carried over from one year to another and some applicants withdraw during the process.

Indonesia: Use of British Military Equipment

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in light of the identification of a British-made Saladin armoured vehicle being used by Indonesian soldiers and Muslim militia attacking a Christian area in Ambon, they will impose an embargo on the sale of all military equipment to Indonesia.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We take very seriously any allegation that British-built equipment is being used repressively, even when it was supplied over 30 years ago. The brief clips from the Associated Press showing the Saladins in Ambon do not show them being used oppressively. However, we have asked our embassy in Jakarta to raise the deployment of Saladin with the Indonesian authorities.
	In attempting to restore law and order in Maluku, the Indonesian navy has already seized over 20 boats, thousands of weapons and detained over 500 Muslim warriors involved in the violence.

Angola

Lord Lamont of Lerwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When Baroness Scotland of Asthal will write to Lord Lamont of Lerwick as she undertook to do on 29 June, following her answer about the International Criminal Court (H.L. Deb., col. 1064) when she replied to a question about Angola with an answer about Rwanda.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I will be happy to write to the noble Lord in answer to his question about Angola.

Handcuffs

Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What export controls they are planning to introduce on pairs of handcuffs and their individual component cuffs.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government have decided to introduce a control on individual "bracelet" cuffs having an internal perimeter when fully locked in excess of 165mm and schackles (i.e., including handcuffs) made therewith. This will be made by an amendment to the Export of Goods (Control) Order. Companies wishing to export such equipment will need to apply to the Department of Trade and Industry for an export licence. Such applications will be judged on a case by case basis against the national criteria and those in the EU code of conduct.
	The control remains on shackles having a maximum locked dimension exceeding 240mm overall (i.e., including cuffs and connecting chain).

Angola: Sanctions Violations

Viscount Chandos: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether violation of the United Nations sanctions against the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola is continuing.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Sadly, we have reason to believe that violations of the sanctions against UNITA are continuing. We are aware of reports that UNITA continues to fuel its war effort by selling diamonds, and that such private sales have taken place recently in Libreville, Gabon. We have heard that another private sale may be held in Libreville within the next month. We will be raising these reports urgently with the Gabonese authorities, and urging them to do everything in their power to prevent this illicit trade. We will also be passing this information to the Chairman of the UN Angola Sanctions Committee.
	We also have reason to believe that Victor Bout continues to supply arms to Angola in breach of the UN arms embargo. We call on all states to fulfil their international obligations to implement and enforce mandatory sanctions imposed by the Security Council of the United Nations; there can be no excuse for any state to provide support for Bout in his continued flouting of UN sanctions.

Visitors to UK: Proposed Bond

Viscount Chandos: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress they have made in relation to the proposed pilot study for financial bonds for visitors.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: After consultations with the Home Office, I can announce that we are unable to proceed with the scheme for the present.
	Development work on detailed proposals for the pilot study has identified a number of difficult practical issues. In particular, moves toward a more flexible approach to the operation of the immigration control--including the introduction of new IT systems for issuing visas at posts overseas--have frustrated attempts to design a simple and effective scheme for providing a bond facility for visitors, and for recording their entry to and departure from the UK.
	The planned pilot study in Manila and Casablanca will therefore not proceed.

Council of the European Union: Forthcoming Business

Lord Sewel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will list the forthcoming business in the Council of European Union for August; and list the major European Union events for the next six months.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Monthly Forecast of EU Business: August 2000
	There are no European Councils scheduled for this month.
	This calendar is primarily concerned with European Union matters, certain other relevant events are also included. Events and dates quoted are based on the information available on the date of issue.
	
		European Calendar: July-December 2000
		
			 Date Location Event 
			 August 
			  There are no Councils scheduled for this month.   
			 September 
			 2-3 Evian Foreign Ministers (Informal) 
			 3-5 Biarritz Agriculture Council (Informal) 
			 4-8 Strasbourg EP Plenary 
			 11-12 Paris Education (Informal) 
			 15 Paris EU/Ukraine Summit 
			 9-10 Versailles ECOFIN Council (Informal) 
			 18-19 Brussels General Affairs Council 
			 18 Brussels IGC Ministerial 
			 25-26 Brussels Agriculture Council 
			 26 (tbc) Brussels Culture Council 
			 28 Brussels Internal Market/Consumer Council 
			 28 Brussels Justice and Home Affairs Council 
			 29 Brussels ECOFIN Council 
			  
			 October 
			 2 Paris EU/US Ministerial Meeting 
			 2 Luxembourg Transport Council 
			 2-7 Strasbourg EP Plenary 
			 3 Luxembourg Telecommunications Council 
			 9 Luxembourg IGC Ministerial 
			 9-10 Luxembourg General Affairs Council 
			 10 Luxembourg Environment Council 
			 13-14 Biarritz European Council (Informal) 
			 16-17 Luxembourg Labour and Social Affairs Council 
			 17 Luxembourg ECOFIN JHA Council 
			 19-21 Seoul Europe/Asia Summit 
			 23 China EU/China Summit 
			 23-24 Luxembourg Agriculture Council 
			 23-27 Strasbourg EP Plenary 
			 25 Luxembourg Education Council 
			 30 (tbc) Paris EU-Russia Summit 
			 November 
			 3 Brussels Social Affairs Council 
			 3 Paris EU/Canada Ministerial 
			 5 Brussels IGC Ministerial Conclave 
			 7 Brussels ECOFIN Council 
			 7 Brussels Environment Council 
			 9 Brussels Education/Youth Council 
			 13-14 Marseilles Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Summit (possible) 
			 13-17 Strasbourg EP Plenary 
			 16 Brussels Research Council 
			 17 Brussels Fisheries Council 
			 20-21 Brussels General Affairs Council 
			 20-21 Brussels Agriculture Council 
			 23 Brussels Culture/Audio-visual Council 
			 23 Sochaux European Conference Ministerial 
			 23-24 Brussels Budget Council 
			 27-28 Brussels ECOFIN Council 
			 27-28 Brussels Labour and Social Affairs Council 
			 30 Brussels Justice and Home Affairs Council 
			 30 Brussels Internal Market/Consumers Council 
			 29-30 Gaborone EU/Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ministerial 
			 December 
			 1 Brussels Justice and Home Affairs Council 
			 3 Brussels IGC Ministerial Conclave 
			 4-5 Brussels General Affairs Council 
			 4 Brussels Telecommunications Council 
			 5 Brussels Energy and Industry Council 
			 7-8 Nice European Council 
			 11 Brussels Health Council 
			 11-15 Strasbourg EP Plenary 
			 14-15 Brussels Fisheries Council 
			 18 Brussels Environment Council 
			 18 Brussels ECOFIN Council 
			 18 Not yet known EU/United States Summit 
			 19 Brussels Environment Council 
			 19-20 Brussels Agriculture Council 
			 19 Not yet known EU/Canada Summit 
			 20-21 Brussels Transport Council 
			 22 Brussels Telecommunications Council 
			 January 
			 12 Brussels Fisheries Council (possible) 
			 22 Brussels ECOFIN 
			 29-30 Brussels General Affairs Council 
			 29-30 Brussels Agriculture Council

Westminster Foundation for Democracy: Annual Report

Lord Puttnam: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will publish the annual report of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Copies of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy's annual report were placed in the Library of the House on 24th July.
	The foundation has continued its crucial work in building and strengthening democracy overseas during the last 12 months. In 1999-2000 the foundation managed 656 projects in almost 60 countries, working with political parties, the media, trade unions, local government, legal organisations and human rights, civil society and women's groups.
	The foundation received a grant-in-aid of £4 million from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, a further £460,734 of earmarked funds for specific projects and £121,669 from corporate supporters and the National Lottery Charities Board.
	Most of the foundation's activities were in its priority areas, which are Central and Eastern Europe; the Commonwealth of Independent States and Anglophone Africa. The foundation has also carried out important projects in Asia and the Middle East.
	In addition to its core projects, the foundation has provided timely and effective responses to the need for technical assistance in the Balkans, especially in Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia, to take forward work on political and civic development.

Yugoslavia: Sanctions

Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What sanctions the United Kingdom implements in relation to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The UK implements the provisions of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1160 (1998), which imposed an arms embargo on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and a prohibition on arming and training for terrorist activities there.
	The UK also implements the following measures, imposed by the European Union in relation to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which are designed to target the Milosevic regime.
	an arms embargo and an embargo on the supply of equipment which might be used for internal repression or terrorism
	a selective visa ban
	a ban on the provision of government-financed export credit and other forms of export finance
	a selective freeze of funds and investment ban
	an oil embargo (with specified exemptions including in relation to Kosovo, Montenegro and the EU's Energy for Democracy programme).
	The EU flight ban in relation to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has been suspended until 31 March 2001.

Diplomatic Missions: Unpaid Parking Fines

Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish figures recording the number of outstanding parking and other minor traffic violation fines incurred by diplomatic missions and international organisations in the United Kingdom during the year ending 31 December 1999.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: At the end of 1999, unpaid fines in respect of parking and other minor traffic violations incurred by members of diplomatic missions and International Organisations in the United Kingdom totalled 5,112. In April this year the Foreign and Commonwealth Office wrote to all diplomatic missions and International Organisations in the United Kingdom giving them the opportunity to either pay their outstanding fines or appeal against them if they considered that they had been issued incorrectly. As a result payments totalling £36,120.00 were received, leaving a total of 4,124 unpaid fines for 1999. The attached table details diplomatic missions and international organisations which have more than 10 fines outstanding.
	
		
			 Mission Number of Fines Outstanding 
			 1 Nigeria 536 
			 2 Angola 399 
			 3 UAE 285 
			 4 Egypt 152 
			 5 Iran 125 
			 6 Morocco 120 
			 7 Qatar 117 
			 8 Algeria 109 
			 9 Turkey 103 
			 10 Jordan 96

Wilton Park Executive Agency

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How the Wilton Park Executive Agency performed against the targets agreed for 1999-2000; and what are the agreed targets for the current year.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Wilton Park met all four of the agreed targets set for the 1999-2000 financial year, for income, cost recovery, the number of conference participants, and cost per head to the FCO overall. The 1999-2000 targets were:
	Income--£2,182,000
	Recovery of cost--82.5%
	Number of Wilton Park conference participants--2,400
	Cost to FCO per conference participants--£193.
	The following targets have been agreed for the financial year 2000-01:
	To increase overall income to--£2,500,000
	To maintain cost recovery at--82.3%
	To maintain the target for the overall number of Wilton Park conference participants at--2,400
	To achieve an average cost to the FCO of each participant of--£224.

Mr Miroslav Filipovic: Trial

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are able to arrange the independent observation of the trial of Mr Miroslav Filipovic, journalist, starting in Serbia on 25 July, before a military court.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Heads of European Union member state diplomatic missions in Belgrade, including the Head of the British Interests Section of the Embassy of Brazil, are pressing the Belgrade authorities for access to the trial of Mr Filipovic and are demanding that the trial be held according to international standards and procedures and with respect for Mr Filipovic's human rights. The Belgrade authorities have yet to respond.

Trepca Mines, Kosovo

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether UNMIK has yet been able to bring the Trepca mines in Kosovo into production.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: UNMIK is in advanced negotiations with a three-company consortium for a one-year project to study the financial, technical and environmental aspects of resuming production at Trepca.

Kosovo: Courts, Judiciary and Prisons

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In relation to Kosovo, under the authority of United Nations Mission in Kosovo--(a) whether the civil and criminal courts are now functioning throughout the country, (b) whether there is a shortage of judges, and, if so, how many are needed, (c) what is the backlog of court cases (if any); and (d) whether adequate prisons are available for sentenced criminals.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: (a) Civil and criminal courts are now functioning throughout Kosovo.
	(b) There is still a shortage of judges and prosecutors. UNMIK have recruited over 400 local judges and are seeking to recruit a further four international judges and four international prosecutors. We have offered UNMIK four candidates for prosecutor posts, and expect also to be able to put forward some judges.
	(c) A backlog of court cases has accrued in Kosovo due to the need for UNMIK to reform the judicial system in the province. This backlog is currently being addressed.
	(d) Prison space in Kosovo is inadequate, with the increasing number of trials resulting in the need for more detention facilities. To date, the UK has given $1 million and the use of an Emergency Engineering Unit to help repair prison facilities.

Alleged Croat Atrocities: Investigation

Lord Jopling: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In the light of a film by Danish television called "Operation Panther" dealing with the atrocities by Croats in Stolac and Dretelj, what actions they have taken or intend to take in order to press the international war crimes organisation to take urgent action.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is an independent body established by the UN Security Council to bring to justice those responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law in the former Yugoslavia. We understand that ICTY are aware of the allegations in the Danish programme. Her Majesty's Government cannot, and do not, put pressure on the tribunal to investigate particular incidents or individuals.

Irish Republic: Pro-British Community

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What advice, if any, they have offered to the Government of the Republic of Ireland about the treatment of those of its residents who consider themselves to be members of the pro-British community; how often the advice is offered; on what topics; and whether there have been any substantial changes to Republic of Ireland policy as a result.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: None.

Workplace Parking Levy

Lord Berkeley: asked the Chairman of Committees:
	Whether, when workplace parking is introduced by the Greater London Authority, an exemption for either Members of the House or officials will be sought; and, if so, for what reasons.

Lord Boston of Faversham: The Greater London Authority Act 1999 gave the Greater London Authority the power to introduce a workplace parking levy on persons providing workplace parking places in Greater London. However, I understand that at present the authority has no plans to introduce such a levy. In the absence of any plans, it is not possible to say whether the House will seek any exemptions from the levy. If any proposals are brought forward in the future, the appropriate House committees (in the first instance, the Administration and Works Sub-Committee) will be consulted as to whether any exemptions should be sought.

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What has been the extent of outbreaks of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in National Health Service hospitals during each of the past five years; and
	Whether they will ensure (a) that the Public Health Laboratory Service is provided with reliable data on the extent of outbreaks of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in National Health Service hospitals; and (b) that such data are published, linking data with each hospital.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The number of hospitals recording methicillin resistant staphylococcus (MRSA) outbreaks are not collected centrally. The Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) does collect data on incidents* of MRSA from isolates submitted voluntarily by hospitals in England and Wales for specialist microbiological tests, but there are a number of problems in relation to interpretation and analysis of that data. The Department of Health is currently working with the PHLS and the National Health Service to improve existing surveillance and reporting systems so as to ensure that the data requested are collected and made available as soon as possible. *An incident is defined as three or more patients with the same strain in the same hospital in one calendar month.

NHS Hospitals: Standards of Cleanliness

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish performance standards of cleanliness in National Health Service hospitals and introduce effective means of securing compliance with those standards in every National Health Service hospital.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: I was delighted to announce a major new "Hospital Clean-Up" initiative on 31 July to improve standards of cleanliness in National Health Service hospitals. This forms an important part of the NHS Plan published on 27 July.
	We recently published "Standards for Environmental Cleanliness in Hospitals" and issued this to all NHS trust chief executives. These standards were developed jointly with the Association of Domestic Managers and the Infection Control Nurses Association;
	A nation-wide clean-up campaign throughout the NHS starting immediately;
	Over £30 million now allocated direct to hospital trusts to bring immediate, tangible improvements to the patient environment in all hospitals;
	The setting up of patient environment action teams to visit every NHS trust in England within the next six months; and
	All NHS trusts will be required to produce action plans to show how they will meet and maintain standards.
	As a result of this initiative we expect to see clean wards, tidy corridors, welcoming front entrances and safer hospitals. Cleanliness of hospitals will be included in the national performance assessment framework to ensure that standards are maintained.

NHS Hospitals: Cleaning Staff

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How the number of staff currently employed to clean National Health Service hospitals compares with the number so employed in 1983.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The information requested is not available centrally.

Rabies Vaccines

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any rabies vaccines available in the United Kingdom are prepared using nervous tissue from a species known to harbour a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The rabies vaccines available in the United Kingdom do not require the use of any mammalian neuronal (nervous) tissue in their preparation.

Medicinal Products: Use of Animal Material

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether it would be a reasonable precaution against developments in the nvCJD outbreak for the Government to establish which injectible medical products in current use in the United Kingdom use bovine or ovine material in their preparation.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Medicines Control Agency (MCA) is undertaking an exercise that requires all marketing authorisation holders of medicinal products licensed for use in the United Kingdom to supply information on use of animal material in the manufacture of medicinal products. A comprehensive database of the information received will be established once the exercise is complete in March 2001. This will enable the MCA specifically to confirm that all medicinal products on the UK market that use such material comply with new European legislation. This legislation requires all new applications for a marketing authorisation made after 1st July 2000 to demonstrate that they comply with European guidelines on minimising the risk of transmission of spongiform encephalopathies via medicinal products. Marketing authorisation holders of existing medicinal products must produce evidence of compliance with the guidelines by 1st March 2001.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, when investigating the Leicestershire nvCJD cluster, particular attention will be paid to investigations of hospital and general practitioner records to find whether injectible medical products of bovine origin were a common factor.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The National CJD Surveillance Unit routinely investigates all available general practitioner and hospital records for all Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) patients, including medical injections that the patient has received, in order to identify any common factors. The investigation of the variant CJD cases in Leicestershire will include close examination of medical records of patients for this purpose.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are aware of any indications that the onset of nvCJD may be triggered by particular events.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: As part of its role in monitoring and investigating cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, the National CJD Surveillance Unit (CJDSU) examines the histories of patients closely to see if there are any factors that might be associated with the onset of symptoms. To date no evidence of such a factor has emerged. The CJDSU will continue to keep this issue under close review.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether those grandparents caring for their grandchildren because their child has died of nvCJD are receiving a uniformly good standard of support from the various organs of the state.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Support is provided through a range of measures to grandparents looking after grandchildren, following the death of a parent from whatever cause. Under the Children Act 1989, local councils are empowered to assist financially with the care of children and young people through payments of foster care allowances, residence order allowances, and discretionary payments. Carers may also be entitled to child benefit, and in some circumstances, working families' tax credit. In addition, the Human BSE Foundation offers support, in both practical and financial terms, to the families of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease patients which can continue beyond the death of the patient. The Department of Health helps fund the work of the foundation.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will fund a support network for the families of those diagnosed with nvCJD.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Department of Health is awarding the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) Support Network a grant of some £70,000 per year for three years to fund a "case co-ordination initiative" aimed at facilitating the co-ordination of healthcare for patients affected by all types of CJD. This should help ensure that the healthcare response is tailored to the needs of each patient. The department similarly funds part of the central administrative costs of the Human BSE Foundation that offers support to variant CJD patients, their relatives and health-care providers. This latter funding amounted to some £23,000 in 1999-2000. In addition, a new post has been created this year at the National CJD Surveillance Unit in Edinburgh to act as a central source of advice and support for healthcare professionals and carers.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are conducting surveillance for asymptomatic nvCJD by means of tests on random human autopsies or otherwise.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: A number of studies to detect asymptomatic variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) have been commissioned as part of the Government's research strategy. These include:
	(i) Retrospective surveys to examine some 18,000 samples of tonsil/appendix tissue for the presence of the abnormal prion protein associated with vCJD. Interim findings were published on 28th April 2000 (Department of Health Press Release R368-34). No positives were found.
	(ii) A study of the brains of the elderly population in Nottingham on whom autopsies are carried out.
	(iii) A systematic survey of brain samples from an unselected autopsy population, including younger individuals, in Oxford. Preliminary results of some 200 samples from this study have not detected any unsuspected or asymptomatic cases of vCJD.
	(iv) A national retrospective review of CJD and related disorders--involving most neuropathology laboratories in the United Kingdom--to establish that cases of neurodegenerative disorders have not been misclassified before vCJD had been identified.
	(v) A comprehensive examination of the Corsellis brain collection to identify any unidentified cases of prion disease.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in investigating the cluster of nvCJD cases in Leicestershire, they will make a reference to the collection of samples relating to the "unfit meat" scandal of 20 years ago held at the Ventress laboratories.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The public health team undertaking the detailed investigation into the apparent cluster of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease cases in Leicestershire are pursuing a number of avenues of inquiry. The results of the nationwide investigation into the illegal trade of unfit meat carried out in the early 1980s (known as "Operation Meat Hook") are being drawn to their attention.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which research proposals relating to nvCJD have been refused state funding within the latest 12 months for which records are available.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: In the last 12 months the Department of Health has turned down only one research proposal relating to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), following advice from referees. There is also a small number of research proposals relating to variant CJD currently being held in abeyance until further information has been provided by the applicants.
	The Medical Research Council has considered 12 applications for grants to support research related to variant CJD during the funding session October 1999-July 2000. Nine proposals were successful in securing funding totalling £2.5 million. Those failing to reach the competitive standard (3 in total) were identified to have significant weaknesses in their scientific strategy.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What symptoms are associated, in a significant number of cases, with the early clinical manifestations of nvCJD; and whether they will bring this list of symptoms to the notice of all health professionals.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Early clinical symptoms of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) are non-specific and include psychiatric symptoms such as depression, personality change, irritability, sleep disturbance and personal neglect. In addition, persistent pain and odd sensations may be experienced in the face and limbs. After several weeks or months, more clear-cut neurological symptoms may set in such as unsteadiness in walking, sudden jerky movements and loss of mental function. vCJD is a rare disease. With the vague nature of the early symptoms, general practitioners might initially diagnose a range of much more common psychiatric disorders. However, all healthcare professionals should be aware of the above symptoms and hence the possibility of vCJD through publications in the medical press, the media and the National CJD Surveillance Unit website. Updates on the disease are being sent out to all general practitioners through "CMO's update".

Dental Strategy for England

Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether section 12.8 (headed "Dentistry") in the Plan for the future of the National Health Service was intended as their promised statement on Dental Strategy; and, if not, when the Dental Strategic Plan will be announced.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The NHS Dental Strategy for England will be published this summer, building on the section on dentistry which was included in the NHS Plan: A plan for investment; a plan for reform.

Dental Services: Anaesthesia and Sedation

Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will carry out a survey on the use of general anaesthetics and sedations in general dental practice, both National Health Service and private, reporting on numbers, morbidity and mortality, to update the last such survey, undertaken in 1966.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The recent review of general anaesthesia and sedation for dental treatment led by the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Dental Officer considered data on National Health Service provision of general anaesthesia and sedation and associated mortality and this is reported in the report A Conscious Decision. No data was available on morbidity or on private sector provision. One of the recommendations in the report was that mortality and morbidity should be monitored and we will be taking this forward. The Department of Health continues to collect data in respect of NHS provision and in 1999-2000, 48,500 general anaesthetics were administered in the general dental services in England and 223,000 sedations.

Dental Services: Anaesthesia and Sedation

Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to make any new funding available for the provision of sedation techniques in general dental practice; and whether some of this money will be available for the training of dental practitioners in these techniques.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have accepted the recommendations in the report from the review of general anaesthesia and sedation for dental treatment, which was led by the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Dental Officer. We will now need to consider what implications accepting the recommendations may have for the provision of treatment under conscious sedation within the general dental services of the National Health Service. Training in sedation is already funded through public funds and we are exploring the need, and ways, for increasing this.

Dental Services: Anaesthesia and Sedation

Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in view of the recent General Dental Council guidance on the use of general anaesthesia in dental practices, sufficient facilities are available in hospitals to cope with the extra referrals which will result; and what effect the ban will have on hospital waiting lists.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: General anaesthesia for dental treatment will not be restricted to hospitals until 2002, which will allow time for hospitals to prepare for additional pressures. We expect to see a further reduction in the number of general anaesthetics provided between now and 2002 and believe that the caseload, which is actually transferred to hospital, should be manageable.

NHS Expenditure on Smokers

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer to the Lord Laird on 11 July (WA 22), how much of the estimated amount of between £1.4 billion and £1.7 billion spent by the National Health Service on treating smoking-related diseases was expended on people who smoke tobacco.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The estimate of £1.4 billion to £1.7 billion is the expenditure incurred by the National Health Service in respect of smokers because they smoke. Hence all those whose treatment incurred this expenditure are smokers. Expenditure on disease to which smoking makes some contribution (smoking related diseases) is necessarily higher.

NHS Management Structure

Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many layers of management exist in the National Health Service between a staff nurse in a hospital and the Secretary of State.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: A staff nurse in a hospital ward in the National Health Service works within a team led by a ward sister or charge nurse. Wards are managed within clinical directorates in NHS trusts, but management structures vary. NHS trusts and health authorities are performance-managed by the NHS Executive whose chief executive reports to the Secretary of State for Health.

NHS Commissioning Arrangements

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 29 February (WA 65-66), what steps they are taking to ensure that their advice on the structure and content of the annual reports on the new regional specialised commissioning arrangements is followed and that performance of these arrangements can be seen to be measured consistently throughout the National Health Service; and
	Whether they will circulate to relevant user organisations and disability charities their advice on the structure and content of (a) the annual reports on the new regional specialised commissioning arrangements; and (b) the annual report of the National Specialist Commissioning Advisory Group; how they propose to disseminate the findings of these reports; and when they expect to place copies of the reports in the Library of the House.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The annual reports for the new regional specialised commissioning arrangements have all been drawn up in line with a consistent structure and will be published locally in mid-September. The lessons learnt will be summarised in the annual report of the National Specialist Commissioning Advisory Group which is due to be published in early October. Both reports will be widely disseminated locally and copies will be placed in the Library.

Men's Health

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will support and encourage a United Kingdom-wide men's health promotion awareness campaign; and
	What plans they have to address the widening mortality difference between social classes among men; and
	Whether they will make an annual report on the state of men's health nationally, listing strategies to address gender health differences.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government are working closely with a number of voluntary and statutory organisations across the country to raise the profile of men's health. For example, the Health Development Agency is examining what measures are most effective in engaging men's interest in health issues. By this type of collaborative work, the Government are aiming to address men's particular health needs and tackle the inequalities that exist across social classes.
	The widening inequalities between men are due to a variety of factors including the wider determinants of health, lifestyle and access to/willingness to take up services. We are addressing these problems in a number of ways. For example, a cross-departmental ministerial group is looking at issues affecting all young people, including young men. Also, the new National Plan for the National Health Service--building on the Acheson Report on inequalities in health and the White Paper Saving Lives--Our Healthier Nation--sets out a strategy for dealing with inequalities in health that will benefit men in lower social class groups, both directly and indirectly. We shall examine how best to report on progress and developments in men's health and to disseminate examples of good, innovative work in alleviating gender-related differences in health.

Prostate Cancer

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to address the differences in waiting times for men with suspected prostate cancer compared with patients with suspected breast cancer.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We are determined to improve the detection and treatment of prostate cancer as part of our programme of action to improve prevention and treatment of our cancer services across the National Health Service. In April 1999, we introduced a two-week waiting time standard for patients referred urgently by their general practitioners with suspected breast cancer. This high standard of care is being put in place for all other cases of suspected cancer during 2000 with the standard for prostate cancer being introduced in December 2000. We are also introducing "On the spot" style booking systems for cancer treatment, including prostate cancer, through the Cancer Services Collaborative. This £6 million initiative is significantly improving patient care by streamlining and redesigning care from referral through diagnosis and treatment thus reducing delays at every stage and will be rolled out to the NHS from April 2001.
	The NHS Plan (Cm 4818-I) now sets out our commitment that the National Cancer Plan which we shall publish in the autumn will contain referral to diagnosis to treatment waiting times targets, covering all cancers. These targets will be drawn up in discussion with clinicians and patient groups, taking account of the speed at which the workforce can expand.
	A Prostate Cancer Action Plan encompassing research, diagnosis, early detection, treatment and care will also be built into the National Cancer Plan. We have also asked the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to commission evidence-based guidance on urological cancers, including prostate, as part of the Improving Outcomes series.

Prostate Cancer

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will support and encourage a United Kingdom-wide screening trial for prostate cancer.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The NHS Plan (Cm 4818-I) sets out the Government's commitment that if and when screening and treatment techniques have developed sufficiently, a prostate cancer screening programme will be introduced. The evidence to support the introduction of a screening programme will be kept under careful review by the UK National Screening Committee. The UK National Screening Committee and the Health Technology Assessment Programme have been working with researchers to pull together several existing research protocols for a prostate cancer screening trial into a bid for one coherent and integrated trial. This has now been submitted to the Medical Research Council and a decision on whether to pursue the trial is expected towards the end of 2000.

Prostate Cancer

Lord Ezra: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What research effort is being devoted to the screening and treatment of prostate cancer; and how this compares with comparable research into breast cancer.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Cancer is a top government priority and research is essential to the development of modern and effective cancer services. The estimated figures for annual government expenditure on breast cancer and prostate cancer in 1999-2000 are £9.02 million and £1.52 million respectively. These figures do not include research allocations to universities from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, or Research Councils other than the Medical Research Council, These figures further underestimate the total government research and development expenditure in these areas, as detailed estimates of National Health Service support funding are not collected routinely.
	The Department of Health has recently made £1 million extra available this year for prostate cancer research. The NHS Plan states that a further £1 million will be made available for each of the next three years. In addition, a Prostate Cancer Action Plan encompassing research, diagnosis, early detection, treatment and care will be built into the National Cancer Plan to be published this autumn.
	Part of the additional money mentioned above will be used to fund two research projects into prostate cancer. The first of these examines the effectiveness and acceptability of treatment options for prostate cancer in screen-detected individuals. The second project is a highly innovative study to create and test new less invasive treatment for prostate cancer using magnetic resonance imaging and high intensity focussed ultrasound.
	We are working with the Medical Research Council and other members of the Cancer Research Funders Forum to identify priorities for prostate cancer research. An expert review group has been set up and will be finalising its report shortly. We will be considering with our partners how we can help improve research capacity in prostate cancer and develop research on key issues in the light of the Expert Review Group report.
	Details of projects directly funded by the department or supported through the NHS research and development budget can be found on the National Research Register. This is available in the Library and most medical libraries on CDROM, and on the Internet: http://www.doh.gov.uk/nrr.htm.

Crawley Hospital

Lord Ezra: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why it proposed to reduce essential services at Crawley hospital at the same time as over 5,000 new homes are intended to be built in that area.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The issue of population growth was carefully considered by West Surrey and West Sussex health authorities before they issued their proposals on the future configuration of acute services at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare National Health Service Trust. The decision, announced on 26th June, was made to ensure that local residents have access to modern, effective, dependable and affordable health services facilities that are fit for the 21st century. Ministers have recognised the importance of providing a clear strategic future of services across the health economy and have instructed the South East Regional Office of the National Health Service Executive to facilitate the establishment of a new working group made up of as many key local stakeholders as possible. This group will be responsible for producing recommendations on the long-term provision of acute, primary and intermediate care services and will consider the effect of long-term population growth in the area.

Smuggled Cigarettes and Teenage Smoking

Lord Mason of Barnsley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What research has been conducted into the increase in smoking among young people due to the smuggling of cheap cigarettes; and whether research can be conducted into the harmful effects of the high tar content of smuggled tobacco.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Teenage smoking is falling. Regular smoking among 11 to 15 year-olds has fallen from 13 per cent in 1996 to 9 per cent in 1999. It is not possible accurately to assess the volume of smuggled cigarettes smoked by this age group. There is no firm evidence on whether smuggled tobacco products have significantly higher tar levels than domestic products.

Artificial Limbs: Expenditure

Baroness Lockwood: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the final figures for the artificial limb services for the years 1998-99 and 1999-2000; and what are the estimates for the years 2000-01 and 2001-02.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Expenditure on artificial limb services is not collected by the Department of Health. Expenditure estimates are made by the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency from:
	(a) suppliers' reports on the value of orders placed by the National Health Service for hardware and componentry; and,
	(b) the value of service contracts placed with prosthetic companies.
	Having reviewed Prosthetic Centre contracts and predicted levels of annual uprating, the Purchasing and Supply Agency estimated that these contracts amounted to around £36 million during 1998-99; that is, £9.7 million for hardware and componentry and £26.3 million for service contracts.
	The final expenditure on the service contracts may vary for a number of reasons, including the actual numbers of patients referred. The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency does not collect actual expenditure detail at the year end.
	Expenditure for the period 2000-2002 will be subject to trusts' negotiations with health authority commissioners.

Health Council, Luxembourg

Lord Dormand of Easington: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the outcome of the Health Council held in Luxembourg on 29 June.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Ms Stuart) attended the Health Council on 29 June in Luxembourg on behalf of the United Kingdom.
	The items in the table were discussed.
	
		
			 Agenda Item Issue UK Position Outcome 
			 (1) Approval of provisional agenda 
			  
			 (2) Approval of "A" points 
			  
			 (3) Proposal for a directive on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the member states concerning the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products (recast) To agree a revised text on a proposal for a directive regarding the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products. The directive consolidates and strengthens three previous directives. It would reduce tar and nicotine yields and introduces a new maximum carbon monoxide yield for all cigarettes manufactured in the EU; increase the size of health warnings and toughen them; ban misleading descriptions such as "light" and "mild"; and require and publicise information on additives. The UK supports the revised text. Commissioner Byrne outlined the proposal and a compromise text, containing the European Parliament's amendments, was tabled. Common position was reached, despite Germany voting against and Austria, Spain and Luxembourg abstaining. 
			  
			 (4) Communication from the Commission on the health strategy of the European Community and proposal for a decision adopting a programme of community action in the field of public health (2000-2006) To receive a communication on the health strategy. This includes a proposal for a public health action programme which will be subject to the co-decision procedure and will be negotiated by the Council and the Parliament in the Autumn. The UK broadly welcomes the proposals but with caveat that they should enhance our national efforts and focus on areas where Community action can bring genuine added value, without straying into areas where the Community has no competence. Commissioner Byrne presented the Communication and there was initial exchange of views between member states, with general approval of the overall direction. 
			  
			 (5) Follow up to the Evora Conference on health determinants To adopt a resolution on action on health determinants. The UK supports the resolution. The resolution was adopted. 
			  
			 (6) Follow up to the Lisbon Conference on medicinal products and public health To adopt conclusions on medicinal products and public health. The UK supports the conclusions The conclusions were adopted. 
			  
			 (7) WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Update on developments on the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. UK supports the objective of the convention in securing global action to support national initiatives. Oral report from Commissioner Byrne, underlining the need for co-ordinated action line with the Commission's negotiating mandate. There was no discussion on this item. 
			  
			 (8) Follow up to the Feira European Council To take forward the public health aspects of the Feira Council conclusions including the integration of health into other Community policies, Food Safety White Paper and the Precautionary Principle. The UK welcomes the recognition of health as both a vertical and a horizontal issue. The UK's response to the proposals for a European Food Agency has been submitted to the Commission. The UK broadly welcomes the Commission's communication on the Precautionary Principle but it is still subject to inter-departmental discussion. Health Ministers noted the outcome of the Feira summit and the Commissioner's remit to look at ways in which the horizontal aspects of the health agenda could be addressed. 
			  
			 (9) Any other business 
			  
			 (a) Conference of experts on quality and safety in the transplantation of tissue and organs of human origin   The Presidency gave an oral report on the outcome of the conference. 
			  
			 (b) Medical devices for self-diagnosis of HIV Note from the Danish delegation concerning proposals to prohibit the marketing and use of medical devices for self-testing of HIV in Denmark. The UK has legislation in place. It does not see the need for separate regulation in this area as the Medical Devices Directive allows member states to introduce national provisions. Commissioner Byrne agreed to bring this issue to the attention of Commissioner Liikanen, Commissioner for Enterprise. 
			 (c) Follow up of the CIDEX case A note from the Belgian delegation raising concerns about the recall of CIDEX, a medical device disinfectant produced in the UK, and proposed revisions to the Medical Devices Directive. The UK acknowledges the concerns raised by Belgium and is co-operating fully with the Belgian authorities. It agrees that there are some areas where the directive needs strengthening. Following a statement from the UK, Commissioner Byrne agreed to bring this issue to the attention of Commissioner Liikanen. 
			  
			 (d) Errors when administering intravenous medication in emergencies Note from the Belgian delegation proposing that minimal standards or norms be defined at European level for emergency injectable drugs. The UK would resist any proposal to introduce more legislation on this issue as it is already adequately covered. Commissioner Byrne agreed to bring this issue to the attention of Commissioner Liikanen.